January 20, 1999
1) Governor Picks Riley Smith to Head Conservation
2) Forestry and Farm Groups Map Out Legislative Plans
3) Environmental Protection Ranks High in Poll
4) Mobile and Huntsville May Face Ozone Problems
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1. Riley Smith Chosen Conservation Commissioner - Riley
Smith of Mobile and
CEO of Tensaw Land &Timber Co. was chosen Saturday by Governor
Don Siegelman
to head the Department of Conservation. Runner-up to Smith was
noted
conservationist, and author of the Forever Wild and State Park
Bond
Constitutional Amendments, former State Senator Doug Ghee of Anniston.
As Commissioner, Smith will immediately face many challenges,
including
resolving the State Parks funding crisis, which was created by
last week's
Circuit Court ruling striking down the current funding mechanism.
Also on
the Commissioner's plate will be the critical job of naming a
replacement for
retiring Game and Fish Chief Charles Kelley.
If you are interested in welcoming Riley Smith to his new post
and would
like to offer your support, you can reach him at 64 N. Union Street,
Montgomery Alabama, 36130.
2. Forestry and Farm Groups Voice Plans - Earlier this
week in a Mobile
Register article, the Alabama Forestry Association (AFA) and the
Alabama
Farmers Federation (Alfa) identified potential legislative agenda
items.
John McMillan, vice president of the AFA stated that his organization
"would
like to see something done about tort reform."
The Alabama Farmer's Federation Executive Director Doug Rigney
said his
organization favors full funding for boll weevil eradication.
He said Alfa
would try to secure $2.6 million for the program. Along with funding
the
boll weevil program, the federation intends to lobby for $2.5
million to help
farmers meet anticipated regulations governing the operation of
animal
-feeding operations such as hog, cattle and chicken farms.
3. Environment Ranks High in Poll - According to a recent
Mobile Register
poll, environmental protection ranked third in importance to Alabamians
behind economic develpoment and Children's First (a program to
help children
who are at risk of becoming delinquents). Listed behind the environment
in
the "menu" of issues were Voter ID, the lottery and
tort reform. The
statewide poll was conducted Jan.11-14.
4. Mobile and Huntsville Face Clean Air Problems - In
a recent Birmingham
News article Ron Gore chief of the air division at the Alabama
Department of
Enivrionmental Management, stated that Mobile and Huntsville could
be among
the newly designated areas that do not meet the stricter federal
standards
for ground-level ozone. The EPA will apply the stronger standards
over a 3
year peroid, 1997 to 1999, to determine whether Mobile and Huntsville
can
meet the new healthier rules. According to the Birmingham News,
data for the
two cities from the past two years, especially 1998, put them
informally over
the edge.
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
